Thursday, August 29, 2013

Hauling groceries on my bicycle

I ride about 1.6 miles to the grocery store. This is how I have outfitted my bicycle so that I can do a variety of errands without relying on a backpack (it's too hot in the summer). First I bought a wire basket for the front handlebar from Wald. This basket is detachable so you can carry it into the store or farmer's market and then pop it back on the bike. Front Basket. It works great although it does affect the steering of the bicycle it you put too much weight in it.

Attached basket

A quick lift of the handle and the basket comes off

Handlebar without the basket attached

I also attach a mirror to the left side of my handlebar. It attaches with velcro and is adjustable. I really like to be able to see traffic behind me. It easily detaches so I can carry it with me when I lock my bike.

Attached mirror

I decided to buy a rear wire basket to attach to my rear rack instead of panniers. It is also a Wald basket.

Rear Bicycle Basket I secured it with plastic ties and this way I can detach it easily if I need to. This basket is really handy. For groceries, I have a cloth bag liner I can carry into the store. It holds a lot of groceries and it rides very nice even when fully loaded.